[coldtea]

>This is a very western perspective on the role of the individual. Not to say that it is wrong or others are better or anything

No, it's also wrong, as the whole luxury of choice the parent pretends to be the ideal situation, is based on a whole lot of other people supporting them (from parents throughout childhood, to social structures, technology, resources, and infrastructure, security, to healthcare, someone else whipping their ass in some nursing home when they're 80 and so on).

[wahnfrieden]

not sure what you're saying, that you can only imagine support networks in societies through this current system - seems like both a limit of the imagination and a lack of looking at where that's been demonstrated (in likewise post agriculture, large scale society). I didn't elaborate in my OP on solutions, I only offered some ways of evaluating how healthy/"advanced" a society is (not just looking at individual potential)

[coldtea]

>seems like both a limit of the imagination

Imagination of some future utopia is a dime a dozen. Scenarios that actually work are much less easy to find.

>in likewise post agriculture, large scale society

I don't see any post agriculture "large scale society". I see an even more increased role of agriculture, amidst food and resource wars, and society dropping in numbers (and scattering to smaller dwellings), what with climate change, and all.

[wahnfrieden]

lol goodbye